Dean Judy Olian Announces New Faculty Appointments: Professor Margaret Shih to Head Full Time MBA Program; Professor John Mamer Now Faculty Chairman

UCLA Anderson Dean Judy Olian recently announced a number of “vitally important academic leadership appointments” and changes that take effect today, July 1, 2015. Olian revealed the transitions and appointments in an email to Anderson faculty, staff and students on June 12, 2015.

Most prominent among the transitions is the appointment of Professor John Mamer as chairman and deputy dean for academic affairs and Professor Margaret Shih as senior associate dean for the full-time MBA program. Mamer succeeds Professor Randy Bucklin, who served three years as chairman; Shih succeeds Professor Mark Garmaise, who headed the full-time program for one year. Shih’s new role comes in addition to her duties as senior associate dean for the Fully Employed MBA program.

The entirety of the administrative transitions and changes as detailed by Dean Olian are as follows:

Chairman and Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs: Professor John Mamer will assume this leadership role, succeeding Professor Randy Bucklin. Randy’s leadership resulted in outstanding faculty hiring, improved academic and teaching processes, a number of new research centers and curricula innovations, all while he continued his own award-winning scholarship and assumed the co-editorship of Journal of Marketing Research. Professor John Mamer will transition from the role of Senior Associate Dean for G/EMBA Programs to the position of Chairman and Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs. John is an outstanding academic leader, having served earlier in the roles of Chairman between 1994 and 1997, and Acting Dean, 1997-1999.

Vice Chairman: Professor Sushil Bikhchandani has graciously agreed to continue to serve in the vice chair role for one additional and final year.He has been a critical partner to the chairman in assuring a smooth and informed faculty personnel process. The breadth of his disciplinary understanding has been vital to the advancement of faculty appointments, promotion and merit decisions.

MBA and FEMBA: Professor Mark Garmaise will be returning to the faculty. As MBA senior associate dean, he spearheaded the concept of the early (summer) start for the MBA program, which is planned for implementation in August 2016. Consistent with the recommendations emerging from the AACSB re-accreditation review, we are beginning the process of restructuring academic leadership roles. The idea is to consolidate faculty leadership of programs/centers and to move toward greater reliance on senior staff for many of those roles. Accordingly, Professor Margaret Shih, who is now the FEMBA program dean, will assume the role of senior associate dean for both the MBA and FEMBA programs. Margaret has been innovative in developing alternative timelines for the FEMBA program and in exploring support structures that will facilitate more diverse applications and enrollments in FEMBA. Associate Deans Rob Weiler and Gonzalo Freixes will expand their management oversight roles within the MBA and FEMBA programs, respectively.

EMBA and GEMBA for Asia: These progams were under the oversight of Professor John Mamer, who is transitioning to the chairman position, and will now be headed by Professor Carla Hayn. Among the prior key leadership roles she has held in the school, Carla ran both programs and was a significant innovator in both. She has taught in the GEMBA program since its inception, and continues to be heavily involved with our UCLA-NUS partnership. Carla will continue in her role as director of the Global Immersion courses offered through the Center for Global Management; these programs will be expanded as we increase international educational opportunities across all MBA programs.

MS in Financial Engineering: This program will be headed by Professor Mike Chernov. The previous director was Professor Hanno Lustig, who is moving to Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Hanno led substantial growth in the program and the establishment of MFE’s reputation as one of the leading degree programs of its type among business schools. Mike’s teaching expertise overlaps substantially with the focus of the program.

MS in Business Data Analytics: Professor Felipe Caro will head. this program, which is in advanced stages of curriculum development and the requisite faculty and university approvals. It was previously headed by Professor Sanjog Misra, who is departing for Chicago Booth. Felipe will complete development of the program, and will shepherd the process through the launch of the program.

Three centers will have new faculty directors:

Professor Andrea Eisfeldt, who is returning to the school after a two-year leave she spent at an East Coast hedge fund, will head the Fink Center for Finance and Investments. Andrea is succeeding Professor Ivo Welch, who led the center for the last three years. Under Ivo’s leadership, the Fink Center expanded its connections to students and its outreach to the sophisticated financial practice community. Andrea’s research interests, as well as recent applied experiences, are an ideal fit with the center’s strategy.

The new Easton Center for Technology Management will be headed by Professor Guillaume Roels. A year ago, Guillaume took over leadership of the Easton Technology Leadership Program from Professor Charles Corbett. With the creation of the new center, the Easton Program is subsumed within it. Guillaume will spearhead this center with an expanded vision of the impact of technology on the strategy and management of business enterprises, and the learning, research, outreach and campus collaboration programs that follow.

The new Morrison Family Center for Marketing Studies and Analytics will be headed by Professor Mike Hanssens, who will serve in this role until July 2016 after he “retires” from Anderson in the fall of 2015. The Morrison Family Center will serve as a global resource for academics and practitioners as they use data and analytical tools to advance understanding of consumer markets and behaviors.

I am extremely grateful to Randy, Bikh, John, Mark, Margaret, Hanno, Sanjog and Ivo for their past — and in some cases continuing — leadership and vital impact on the school and our programs. And to the new program and center leaders — John, Margaret, Carla, Rob, Gonzalo, Mike C., Felipe, Andrea, Guillaume and Mike H. — thank you for your willingness to support the school and our programs through your leadership and strategic vision. These new appointments take effect July 1, 2015.

I am most appreciative that our other outstanding program and center faculty directors will continue in their roles: Professors Francis Longstaff, Al Osborne, Sanjay Sood, Ed Leamer, Sebastian Edwards and Stuart Gabriel. I think I speak for everyone in offering a collective thanks.